1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to the field of respiratory therapy and, more particularly, to a continuous positive airway pressure system and methods used for delivering continuous positive airway pressure, via the nasal cannula, to premature infants suffering from Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) or other respiratory ailments.
2. Background of Related Art
Infants born prematurely frequently suffer with increased work of breathing due to the immature lungs that have a propensity to collapse during exhalation and resist expansion during inhalation, commonly referred to as Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS). In contrast mature healthy lungs have a resiliency to remain inflated at the end of exhalation and expand with ease during inhalation. An infant's lung may also collapse due to airway obstruction or anatomical abnormalities.
One particular method of treatment of RDS involves the use of nasal cannula that fit sealingly into the nares and connected to a breathing system that generates a continuous flow of air with above atmospheric pressures, commonly referred to as Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy. The positive pressure is transmitted through the infant's airways and into the lungs thereby preventing collapse during exhalation and augmenting expansion during inhalation. The CPAP therapy is frequently administered for two to three days for twenty-four hours a day. The therapy improves oxygenation of the blood and reduces the work of breathing allowing the lungs to mature and grow.
The adverse events that arise from the application of these devices for the prescribed period of time are many fold. For example, the cannula are part of a rigid base that produces pressure points on tissue when there is not an exact fit; the cannula base connects directly to the supply tubing which is difficult to stabilize and movement can easily cause poor cannula alignment inside the nares; the cannula can become dislodged from the nares; abrasions can be caused in the nares from the cannula fitting too loosely; tissue perfusion can be cut off it the cannula fit too tightly which can lead to necrosis; if the cannula are too close to one another the nasal septum can be pinched, if the cannula are too far from one another pressure points can be created in the nares; if the device is heavy, “sand bagging” of the infant's head is required to prevent the infant's head from moving; head gear straps need to be tightly adjusted about the infant's head to prevent movement which in turn can cause “molding” of the infant's head; and all infant nasal CPAP devices are designed to be powered by a ventilator, flow meter or special driver all of which require “high pressure” compressed air and/or “high pressure” oxygen.
Recently, nasal CPAP or nCPAP has become more widely prescribed as the treatment of choice for premature infants suffering from Respiratory Disease Syndrome (RDS). As a result, there has been a rise in the adverse events related to the therapy of RDS. The severity of such adverse events range from mild (where the damage goes away on its own) to permanent (where the infant requires plastic surgery to repair the damage caused by the cannula).
The use of CPAP has also been extended into the treatment of neonatal problems other than respiratory distress syndrome, such as, for example, apnea of prematurity, patent ductus arteriosus, meconium aspiration syndrome and post-surgical cases.
Accordingly, the need exists for a device that can deliver nCPAP to premature infants in such a way so as to reduce and/or eliminate the adverse events listed above.